Half to william harvey merritt



(No Model.)

T. E. ARMITSTEAD. PUZZLE.

No. 448,577. Paten ted Mar. 17, 1891.

F i g- 1 F i g. 2

Y INVENTEIR: WITNESSEE: W By 7 his 48801725 lUrrED STATES PATENT Fries.

THOMAS E. ARMITSTEAD, OF MAZOMANIE, VISGONSIN, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TOWVILLIAM HARVEY MERRITT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

PUZZLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 448,577, dated March17, 1891.

Application filed July 11, 1889.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. ARMITSTEAD, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Mazomanie, in the county of Dane and State-of\Visconsin, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Puzzles, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention consists of a number of balls, as marbles, but of anyapproved material and size, each having a number of fiat faces, on whichthey will rest with some tendency to prevent rolling, but otherwiseround, and being numbered or otherwise distinguishably characterized onthe respective faces, in combination with a flat board, plaque, or plateof any approved kind adapted to be easily manipulated by the hand forbeing shaken to roll the balls, and preferably having a marginal guardto prevent the balls from being shaken off the board, and may have atransparent cover to inclose the balls, if desired.

The game or puzzle consists of shaking the plate to roll the ballsthereby and turn up the most faces having the highest or any otherpredetermined numbers or other characters counting the most or readingor indieating any specified text in the game, all as hereinafter fullydescribed, reference being made to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, are plan views of my improved puzzle devices,showing the balls in various different positions and with differentfaces uppermost as in the progress of the game; and Fig. 5 is atransverse section of the device with a transparent cover.

I provide a plain fiat plaque a, of any approved form, size, andmaterial, and preferably having a marginal guard-rim I) extending asuitable height above the surface to prevent the balls from rolling off,and also provide therewith two or any greater numher of balls 0, havingseveral flat faces (1, preferably six, and also preferably so that eachface is diametrically opposite another face, said balls.being otherwiseround, and I number or otherwise differently characterize the faces ofeach ball, and also preferably color the several balls or some of themdifferently. In this example two of the balls are $erial No. 317,248.(No model.)

of like color and the other two lighter and darker, respectively. Thecharacters 90 and 9, written 011 the plaque, explain the nature of thegame in this instance, two of the balls having various numbers, or theymay be blank on all the faces but one. Each has 9 on one face. Anotherhas 0 on one face and various other characters on the other faces, andone has the character &

,on one face, and is likewise differently nuin- 6o bered or may be blankon the other faces.

The point of the game is to shake the plaque and by that means turn upthe reading 90 and 9, as, for example, in Fig. 4. Of course any otherreading or count of numbers maybe used, and the game may be limited totwo balls or increased to any higher number.

As the balls have not to be handled, it is desirable to inclose them forprotection against being thrown off and scattered about the floor, andas it is important at the same time to see them plainly I employ in somecases a transparent cover, as 6, preferably of glass.

The balls of my improved game are distinguished from dice in beinground, except in the flattened parts, and theyare used by rolling themabout through shaking the plaque laterally, whereas dice are cubes, andthey are used either by throwing onto the plaque from a cup or bythrusting them upward from the plaque by violent thrusts of the plaque,and while some dice have been made in cubes with the corners slightlyrounded, they are yet essentially and practically cubes and incapable ofrolling like a ball and. are not the equivalent of my balls, which forthe purposes of my invention must be capable of rolling and without muchtendency to stop 0 even when falling on a flat face. My balls have anessentially distinguishing feature as compared with dice having roundedcorners, and that is necessary to my purpose, but not necessary andwould be objectionable for diceviz., the flat faces are of such limiteddimensions that they are each entirely bounded by portions of thesurface of the sphere.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The improved game or puzzle device comprising the plaque and two ormore essentially round balls, each having two or more flat and numberedor otherwise characterized 5 faces, each bounded by portions of thesurface of a sphere, in combination, said plaque having the marginalguard for retaining the balls and adapted to be held in and manipulatedby the hands to roll the balls thereon IO to expose the necessary facesto solve the puzzle, substantially as described.

2. The improved game or puzzle device comprising the plaque and two ormore essentially round balls, each having two or more 1' 5 flat andnumbered or otherwise characterized faces, each bounded by portions ofthe sur-

